This invention relates to improvements in photoelectric, digital measuring instruments, and in particular to an improved balancing circuit for such instruments having two or more light sources.
A wide range of photoelectric length and angle measuring instruments are known to the prior art. See, for example, West German OS No. 1 955 878, West German OS No. 1 915 478, and West German Pat. No. 2 144 835. In such measuring instruments, the movement of a first object with respect to a second object is measured by measuring the modulation of a light beam which passes through grids having alternating translucent and opaque or reflecting and non-reflecting sections as the grids are moved with respect to one another.
In such prior art instruments, the measurement is interrupted when the light beam is disturbed, for example, when the light source fails to operate. In order to resume measurement, the light source (commonly an incandescent lamp or a light emitting diode) must be replaced and the photoelectric measuring instrument must be rebalanced for the new light source. Light sources are in general not identical in terms of brightness, and different light sources will generate differing photocurrents, which are adjusted with the aid of balancing circuits. During the down-time caused by this servicing, no measurements can be made. When, as is often the case, the measuring instrument is mounted to a machine tool, the operation of the machine tool is interrupted for the entire period during which the measuring instrument is being serviced.